jonnyc4t Posted May 27, 2013 Report Share Posted May 27, 2013 I was wondering how many of you can walk your Husky off leash? It seems as though any time I run into another Sibe owner they are amazed that I can have my guy off leash and he stays with and listens to me. I have been able to do this ever since he was a puppy. Now I would never, ever consider walking him down the road off leash but where I frequent its a lot of open land and bogs or a fenced in dog park - the majority of owners I see still have to leash theirs. It's pretty funny while my pup is walking a decent distance ahead of me - he will turn his head every 3-4 steps just to make sure I am still following. Often times I will jump behind a rock, tree or into the woods when he isn't looking and he immediately turns around running back towards the last place he saw me. Is anyone else comfortable and able to walk their siberian off leash?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Posted May 27, 2013 Report Share Posted May 27, 2013 The only time I let mine off lead is in a fenced in dog park. The dog park I go to only has about 4ft fences and in the middle of nowhere and I am still nervous and keep a close eye on them. Nikko would run off if given the chance. Kodiak is the only one who I suspect MAY come back, and Yukon is probably too lazy to run anywhere lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Angel n Auroras Mum Posted May 27, 2013 Report Share Posted May 27, 2013 only time mine are offlead is in the house or garden. thats all im saying on the subject Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luda kuca Posted May 27, 2013 Report Share Posted May 27, 2013 i can walk mine off leash anywhere, he also always keep his eyes on me, and have a great recall, usually i dont even call him, as soon as he notice that i change direction he follows me.. how old is your husky? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyc4t Posted May 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2013 only time mine are offlead is in the house or garden. thats all im saying on the subject Your response makes me feel like I possibly touched on a controversial subject within the community? My apologies if i did! i can walk mine off leash anywhere, he also always keep his eyes on me, and have a great recall, usually i dont even call him, as soon as he notice that i change direction he follows me.. how old is your husky? He is 2 1/2 and listens very well. I never even trained him to act this way, he did it on his own. I tried attaching an image for the place that we frequent the most but the file is too large and I have no way to resize it. http://postimg.org/image/u3ptsnqen/full/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahjng Posted May 27, 2013 Report Share Posted May 27, 2013 Bear is 8 months and I have tried it once with my heart in my mouth every second. He has made friends with another older husky who always recalls so at the back of the park ( the bit with only one exit ) I let him off lead, he either followed gizmo like a magnet or sat with me, might try again (WITH gizmo !) just wish other owners would stop telling me it's not fair to keep him on leash and even that I'm damaging him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormy Posted May 27, 2013 Report Share Posted May 27, 2013 Only in enclosed areas with mine they may or may not come back just not a risk I'm willing to take I have them on extendable leads etc so they have roaming room with me knowing I can get them back Skye would eat all the ducks otherwise! And shadow would join in! It's personal preference and up to each individual if they let theirs off or not it's recommended not to by most breeders and also the kennel club but I won't judge you for it atall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahjng Posted May 27, 2013 Report Share Posted May 27, 2013 I wish there was somewhere that was enclosed and safe near me, owners have been campaigning for 3 years with no luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazz Posted May 27, 2013 Report Share Posted May 27, 2013 For the benefit of those who may not be aware, this topic has come up on the forum numerous times. The vast majority of those who have custody of a Siberian Husky, do not let that Husky off lead, unless in a safe confined area. That is because the vast majority of Huskies will take off, never to be seen. It is difficult for some, whose Husky goes off lead without issue, to realize it only takes one time that your Husky does not listen, or its prey drive kicks in, and your Husky runs off. There are a number of posts on this topic within the forum. If you search for "off lead", you'll find plenty of reading. I don't let mine off lead unless they are in the back yard (an enclosed acre). I not only don't want to lose them, I simply don't trust them. Keep it civil, keep it on topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyc4t Posted May 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2013 For the benefit of those who may not be aware, this topic has come up on the forum numerous times. The vast majority of those who have custody of a Siberian Husky, do not let that Husky off lead, unless in a safe confined area. That is because the vast majority of Huskies will take off, never to be seen. It is difficult for some, whose Husky goes off lead without issue, to realize it only takes one time that your Husky does not listen, or its prey drive kicks in, and your Husky runs off. There are a number of posts on this topic within the forum. If you search for "off lead", you'll find plenty of reading. I don't let mine off lead unless they are in the back yard (an enclosed acre). I not only don't want to lose them, I simply don't trust them. Keep it civil, keep it on topic. Ah, I apologize. Very strange though because when I searched for "off lead" or "off leash" nothing populates other than this topic (now). Perhaps I am doing something wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjwrx Posted May 27, 2013 Report Share Posted May 27, 2013 I personally would not let mine off leash unless its at an enclosed or mostly enclosed park. That is because he has a very high drive, any small animal and he will bolt and chase. I do have a friend that walks his 2 huskies off leash really well. However only he is able to walk them off leash, his family needs to leash them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyc4t Posted May 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2013 I personally would not let mine off leash unless its at an enclosed or mostly enclosed park. That is because he has a very high drive, any small animal and he will bolt and chase. I do have a friend that walks his 2 huskies off leash really well. However only he is able to walk them off leash, his family needs to leash them. I'd never allow anyone else to take mine off leash unless I was there, nope no way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val (Zebedee) Posted May 27, 2013 Report Share Posted May 27, 2013 Jonny, it is quite an emotive topic and it is entirely up to each owner as to how they walk their dogs. There have been many a "dispute" shall we say about this very subject I will let all of mine off lead in the enclosed dog park. BUT I also have a 10 yr old boy that, if we are in woodland or on the beach, say, I can let off lead after the initial 10 minutes & we're away from roads etc; he will happily trot along the track / path with us & come back if he ventures too far away (bear in mind, it is a slow trot, nothing that a human couldn't catch up with) but I'm always aware of where he is. The other 2 (and the current foster dog) - no chance! They would be away like the wind if they had the chance! We have had the unfortunate story of a husky that always recalled but this one time, saw another dog over the road, jumped out of the boot of the car to go say hello and got knocked down & killed by a car. So while we know not all huskies will head for the hills while off-lead, there is a huge majority that will never "take the chance" with their dog and prefer to keep them on lead, albeit a 50 ft or even 100 ft lead just to keep them safe, because, as has been said, there could just be that one time .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJS Posted May 27, 2013 Report Share Posted May 27, 2013 (edited) Monster Pup is NEVER off lead apart from when in the garden or in the yard at work. His prey drive has started to kick in and anything small and furry running catches his eye straight away... We can't even attach him to a stake when outside, as he can quite easily rip the stake out of the ground due to his size and weight. This is a bit of a touchy subject. After reading up on Mals before we got Kodiak, we both made the decision never to have him off lead, as it only takes a squirrel or a bird, and we would lose Kodiak... Simply not worth the risk. Edited May 27, 2013 by RJS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Posted May 27, 2013 Report Share Posted May 27, 2013 My staffy I could until she went deaf and now it's a bit tricky if she can't see us. Bear and ice, only in enclosed areas. To be fair, I think Bear could of been trained a reliable recall as she's a mixed breed and doesn't show the same husky "deaf ears" as Ice, she's much more 'dog like' but although I train recall to both of them in enclosed areas like the local basketball court, I wouldn't want to take the risk with her safety to test out my theory in an unenclosed area. I know a group of local husky owners who let theirs off lead in the park and one of the dogs ran out of the park and got run over. He survived but it made an impact on their attitudes. They may not if heeded my warnings but they certainly took notice of that and stopped letting theirs offlead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elyse Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 I don't let mine off lead unless it is in a secure (fenced) area. It's not worth the risk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiser Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 i do what you do, even the jumping behind a tree or rock, he turns and comes looking lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedJasper Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 All 3 of mine are leash only. Now all of them have slid out of their collars or pulled the leash out of hands, they have even pulled my OH over and he has let go of them. All of them have returned and not ran off. I am not willing to tempt fate. If it is a secure yard that is different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterchillz Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 Ares is always on the leash as well. It was the last weekend when we met a golden retriever who was just 2 days younger than him. I spoke to his owner and the lady said that she always walks him around off leash. He was really playful and it seems that Ares liked him too so I took him off the leash although I was worried about doing that. They were playing around but Ares decided not to hear a single one of my commands and just keep on playing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mydiamond Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 Diamond is strictly not allowed to be let off-lead he's an air head and easily fascinated so when there's something---anything!---that caught his attention that moment he'd take off running. Plus, he also came with a special feature called "selective hearing". So, no... No off-lead walks for my boy I also feel nervous if asked to walk another dog off-lead, even if it's a dog with highly reliable recall. Maybe it's just that I've never walked a dog that will obediently follow beside me, but I don't feel safe walking a dog that runs around everywhere off-lead... what if they wander too far and something happens--for example if he approaches a dog in need of space and triggers a fight? I would be too late to either correct him or stop him, because he's too far away from me and I have no control whatsoever but I do wish I have a safe, enclosed area where Diamond can run around off-lead. He sure would love to run free Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazz Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 I want to make a point at this juncture of the thread, so anyone who may be new to Huskies, does not get the wrong impression. I do this because the tenor of the thread is relatively nonchelant and letting a Husky off lead is anything but. For the safety of your Husky, please be certain you have properly trained and worked with your dog to the extent that you feel your Husky is 100% reliable and will respond as expected to each of your commands. Also, be certain you have worked on training your Husky to "come" (recall) and "stop" on command, and that these commands are 100% reliable. Letting a Husky off leash without a reliable "recall" AND a realiable "stop" command is fairly risky, given the nature of the breed. Keep in mind also, that Huskies that are still puppies, are less likely to venture off when off lead, than will a full grown adult. So if you are reading this thread and see that your three or four month old Husky seems to be fine off lead, don't kid yourself. The day will come when your baby will venture off on you and if you have not established reliable recall and stop commands, it may be the last you see of your furbaby. I know we all have opinions, and we all have a stake in each of our Huskies. I'm not trying to single anyone out, nor make an example of any particular person. I just want to be certain that anyone who comes upon this thread, gets the benefit of experience so they can make an informed decision for themselves and their own Husky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elyse Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 Just adding on to Mazz's excellent post: And, even if your husky has 100% reliable recall, one day they just might decide to ignore you and run off after something. It's the nature of the breed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 Ares is always on the leash as well. It was the last weekend when we met a golden retriever who was just 2 days younger than him. I spoke to his owner and the lady said that she always walks him around off leash. He was really playful and it seems that Ares liked him too so I took him off the leash although I was worried about doing that. They were playing around but Ares decided not to hear a single one of my commands and just keep on playing Yep, the nature of the beast. Stubborn with a very good case of selective hearing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chula Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 My husky will never be off lead unless in an enclosed area. I could never forgive myself, knowing her and how much she loves squirrels and cats and other fun things to chase, if she was off lead and ran away or got hit by a car, or some scared person shot or hurt her because this wolfish dog was trying to jump up to show how much she loves people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 Mishka is only offlead in the garden and the house, and super secure off leash areas which I have to go around first to see if there are any gaps as she WILL find it and run out. Her previous owner told me she used to be pretty good as a pup, but once a couple of ducks flew over her and that was it she was off, he chased her for two miles.. No thanks lol Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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